Typhoon Aere crashed into mainland China unleashing torrential rains and prompting the evacuation of nearly a million people, as the death toll climbed to 35 on Thursday after a mudslide killed 15 villagers in Taiwan. Aere came ashore on the mainland late Wednesday after battering northern Taiwan, where up to 5 feet of rain fell over the past 21/2 days in some areas. State television in China showed footage of howling winds and pounding rain. Cars plowed through flooded streets littered with uprooted metal barriers.
Firefighters battled a huge blaze at an ammunition depot Thursday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents as ordnance at the site exploded. The explosions were fueling the fire at the government depot in Chowdar, Orissa state, police said. Officials evacuated nearly 5,000 residents from the villages of Mangalpur and Shankarpur near the depot as there was a chance the fire could spread, police said.
From Herald news services
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